Unfortunately, this is just another tragic incident involving young students and other vulnerable populations being exposed to asbestos.

In 2008, the Washington Post reported in their article, Putting Mentally Disabled at Risk Is No Way to Cut Corners, that when the “Federal Aviation Administration decided to knock down an old guard shack last year on the grounds of the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg […] managers called in a crew of mentally disabled people and put them to work at the site, which had been found in 1993 to contain asbestos.”

The Middleburg Heights, Ohio exposure serves as yet another example of why the U.S. Surgeon General needs to issue an official asbestos warning that is stronger than the 2009 Surgeon General statement. As asbestos exposure continues, families and public health advocates are growing impatient with the lack of education and enforcement needed to prevent mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases. Join ADAO and partner for prevention by sharing this graphic with your family and friends.

Share Your Story

You are not alone. Join our ADAO “Share Your Story” community about how you or your loved one has been affected by an asbestos-caused disease such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Read our featured story about Barry. Read previous "Share Your Stories."